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On a very special Christmas podcast, Glenn and Daniel venture into the plot-complex and dialogue-rich directorial debut of Aaron Sorkin, Molly’s Game, based on the memoir by Molly Bloom, who ran a series of high-stakes underground poker games for a flurry of the rich and powerful before being pulled into legal peril. This film contains four outstanding performances – the two you’d expect, plus Cera and Costner. If you’ve got some time off this holiday, be sure to check it out (35:23).

This week on the podcast, Glenn and Daniel go big and get goofy with Guillermo del Toro‘s Pacific Rim, the latest entry in the fairly saturated market of world-ending, giant-robot smashing, quasi-superhero films. Is this film big, loud, and earnest enough to set itself apart? Listen below and find out (36:29).

Burn Gorman was born in Hollywood to British parents, and moved to London when he was seven years old. Make of his accent what you will.

The music for this film was done by Ramin Djawadi, best known for composing opening title themes and original music for TV (Prison Break, Game of Thrones, and others). And a correction – we spoke on the podcast of brass and major chords, but a review of the soundtrack reminded us that Pacific Rim‘s score consisted primarily of strings – both synth/orchestral and rock-and-roll guitar. Quite rousing upon review.

Music for this episode comes from the eponymous opening track to the film’s score.

We recorded this episode prior to the film’s #3 debut at the box office…and we’re sad to say, we called it. But now seems like a good time to evoke the powerful fiscal ambiguity of Edward Jay Epstein‘s The Hollywood Economist, and say…who knows. It may be profitable eventually.

If you want to see how the sausage is made, stick around after the end music to hear a bit of starting difficulty we had with this episode.

Listen above, or download: Pacific Rim(right-click, save as, or click/tap to play on a non-flash browser)

This week, Nick returns to throw down the gauntlet and help Glenn review Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, the latest entry in the Avengers saga. Will it be a worthy standalone film, or merely a S.H.I.E.L.D.-infused trailer for what’s to come? Listen below to find out [maywill contain some NSFW language] (24:21).